As sportswear and activewear becomes more like every-day wear - particularly when it gets cold, it’s hard to be inspired to go to the gym let alone go running outside, and essential to invest in some pieces that will work anywhere from home to office (out of hours) to gym and back again.
Chic sportswear clearly has to be the answer, out here in Dallas I see women leaving the office already changed for the gym, in cut- off capri pants or slimline leggings, brightly coloured t-shirts, zip fronted jackets (down when it’s cold) and even more brightly coloured trainers ready for business.
This last week has been even more interesting, as the temperature plunged below freezing and then up again to over 80 degrees (yesterday) making it very difficult to know what to wear anywhere.
With high-tech and warm layers being the answer together with the addition of a modern lightweight fleece (inside) or down jacket both here and in the UK two brands well worth having a look at are Abercrombie - the full cold weather collection and A&F Active, and Sweaty Betty. Yes Abercrombie veers off more into preppy daytime sports and casual wear and Sweaty Betty goes straight to the gym or track but they do cross over in the middle.
Abercrombie is more classic - less ruching and more straight-forward shapes but always high quality fabrics, whilst Sweaty Betty seems regularly to reinvent the wheel both in terms of shape and colour spectrum. They’re both very tempting. I was out here. So you can guess where I went. But Sweaty Betty’s ski jacket is, I have to admit, at the top of the temptation scale…..and you wouldn’t just want to hide it away for the slopes. Over to you.
One point to note is that Abercrombie doesn’t ‘do’ black. So if black is what you want to wear you’ll be out of luck, dark navy, grey, light grey, pretty well always but for some reason you won’t find black there. Their charcoal grey active pants (left) are superb though for wearability, a flattering shape, great fabric and washability.
A&F Active is a very small range of high quality pieces you may want to dip into. Streamlined and flattering and designed to suit just about any Abercrombie lover (and with small logos). Sweaty Betty has the full range for fitness, workout and running inside and out. Expensive but very high quality. And who doesn't want to look good in the gym?.........
